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This year (2007/8) there is very little space left in the garden which receives enough sun to enable Annuals to grow successfully. We are also experiencing serious drought, and Level 4 water restrictions. Consequently the seeds of many shallow-rooted annuals have not germinated successfully this season. Since shade is the main purpose of the original design, this does not concern me. I have been able to grow a wide variety of annuals while the trees and shrubs were maturing, but the character of the garden is now fully developed, and the desired climate modification has been achieved.
Since the notes may be useful for plant selection in drought-affected areas, I'll leave the list, which was accurate 2 years ago, with appropriate comments in italics, and report later on changes which seem to have become permanent. But do remember that I am fortunate in having reasonable moisture in my subsoil, which accounts for the survival of many deep-rooters.
ARTICHOKES, Jerusalem
Full text of my article, published in edited form in 'Permaculture International Journal' # 54.
This summer (2007/8) I have been able to grow only a small quantity of these useful tubers. But I am anxious to have at least enough tubers to establish a good crop in years when conditions allow.
BORAGE
Only once, in an Australian Herbal, have I seen a caution against the fine hairs on borage leaves. Most other references suggest using the leaves in salads, but I think you would end up with a very sore mouth. Probably they would be safer cooked as greens.
On the other hand, the beautiful flowers have the same cucumber flavour as the leaves, and can be safely used as a garnish or in salads. Traditionally the flowers are floated on bowls of fruit punch for decoration.
I like to collect the newly opened flowers early in the morning, just after the dew has dried, but before the bees have taken the nectar.
(Of course I always leave a few for the bees!) They make a wonderful tea, with a slight sweetness. I try to dry a year's supply during each season. 'Borage for Courage' is an old saying, and the tea can be used to good effect to allay anxiety.
Tall, beautiful and stately, if it deigns to grow erect, but just as likely to sprawl along the ground if the mood takes it. Either way I would not like to be without a few borage plants in my garden.
This season (2007/8) none of the seedlings survived
CALENDULA
Also known as the English or Pot Marigold, the 'Marybud' of Shakespeare's song, calendula has been a cottage herb for centuries. It should not be confused with the African Marigold or Tagetes, which is irritating to the skin and a powerful nematode repellant.
The petals are used as a spice in egg dishes and salads, while a strong tea made from the flowers gives golden tints to the hair.
A soothing ointment is also made from the flowers and a poultice of mashed fresh petals provides emergency first aid for cuts, scrapes and small burns.
They also make a good cut flower, lasting well, and look their best in a terracotta pot.
Usually they flower sporadically throughout the summer, but this year they died from lack of water. Hopefully seedlings will appear if we receive any winter rain.
CELERY
Very early in the development of the design, I think it was in 1989, I planted some celery seedlings. While they didn't produce thick succulent stalks like those grown with lots of water and fertiliser, they did provide me with texture and flavour in soups and stir-frys. In the second year (like parsley, celery is a biennial) they flowered, and I let them go to seed. Now there are few years in which celery seedlings fail to appear.
I don't water them much, using them as a herb rather than a vegetable, and saving the mature seed for a medicinal tea. It's good for High Blood Pressure, and Arthritis.
One plant grew to maturity this season, and set seed before dying soon after Christmas.
CLEAVERS
This European herb was used to clarify or strain beer - if you grab a handful of the mature plant, you will understand why! The sticky seeds are easily spread, so if you don't want it to take over the garden, you need to cut the plant before it seed, or make certain to harvest them all.
Why grow it? Well, the young foliage when lightly steamed is a nice green vegetable, while the tiny seeds can be roasted to make a coffee-like drink. Takes patience though!
No seedlings appeared this season
CORIANDER
Some years I get a good crop, others I don't. But the odd Coriander seedling appears here and there, though they quickly set seed and disappear when the weather gets hot.
I sowed some seed in a pot last winter, and had a good crop, which lasted until late December. Collected plenty of seed, which I'll hand sow again in my large herb pots
GARLIC (wild)
While there is not enough sun for more than the odd plant of proper garlic, the wild variety grows up quickly once the leaves have fallen in winter. I am fortunate in having a bed where I can confine the bulbs - if not contained, they will quickly spread, and are difficult to eradicate. Though attractive to look at, rather like a small white bluebell, the odour does not make it popular in most gardens.
Here in South Australia it has colonised large areas of grassland and bush, (I got my bulbs from the local park - were it not for the strong possibility of contamination by dogs, I would simply gather what I needed rather than growing it) and is a real pest to dairy farmers, because it taints the milk. I would not recommend it be grown unless in a carefully managed urban garden like my own.
No problems whatever with this crop - it will be interesting to see if it is as prolific in our third year of drought!
FEVERFEW
This attractive herb is like a miniature chrysanthemum, having daisy-like white flowers with a bright gold centre. It cuts well, and in recent years the herb has been found to have a preventative effect on migraine headaches. I use it as a companion plant, for its insect repellant properties.
It is fairly drought resistant and self-seeds freely.
This is a real survivor - not only has it done well in the garden, but many plants have survived in the lane, in extremely hot dry & dusty conditions.
HEARTSEASE - a.k.a.Johnny-Jump-Ups, Wild Pansy
I first grew these outside in the lane, but they kept getting removed, presumably by someone who wanted them even more than I did.
This year a friend brought me two well-grown plants as a gift. They throve in the shady area around the "Water Garden" and are now busy setting seed.
One day I'll research traditional uses for this delightful old-fashioned annual, but in the meantime, I'll just enjoy the dear little faces which greet me every morning when I wake.
No seedlings this year - probably too much shade, even for them
HOLLYHOCKS
I love hollyhocks, and have fond childhood memories of watching the bees working their way up and down the huge flower-spikes in my grandfather's garden on warm English summer afternoons.
A member of the Mallow family, it loves a moist rich soil and a sunny position. So I only manage one or two really typical specimens in the garden - but I plan to sow some seed in the street this year, where it should do much better.
January 2001 - it has! I found a spot where there is regular seepage from a stormwater outlet, and the result is magnificent!
Like any member of the Mallow family it would be worth testing as a food plant in survival situations
None in the garden this year, but the specimens in the lane have done amazingly well.
LUNARIA aka honesty
An old-fashioned cottage plant, up to 60cm tall, with spikes of small violet or white flowers, Lunaria is named and now mainly grown for it's round flat seed-pods. When the stems full of ripe pods are dried and outer skin of the pods carefully removed, a translucent pearly inner membrane is revealed. Vases of these highly ornamental branches hung with pearly discs were highly prized for decoration in Victorian and Edwardian times, and they are still used by many dried flower arrangers.
In previous centuries, the leaves were cooked and used as a green vegetable. Though they may seem rough to the modern western palate, they are very similar to the turnip tops we used as greens during the war years. The root, though tough and fibrous, is full of flavour, and can be used as a milder substitute for horseradish.
The plant self-seeds readily, and is not particular about conditions. But if you want to use it as a vegetable, give it rich moist soil, and you will get a top quality plant.
Some seedlings survived and grew to maturity, despite heavy summer shade and little or no water.
MUSTARD GREENS
These I originally gathered from the lane, where they are weeds! Transferred to good garden soil, they produce lush spicy greens throught the winter and spring, and self-seed readily.
No sign of these either in the gardenthis season, in the lane plants appeared as usual, but grew very little leaf, and went to seed very early
NASTURTIUMS Photo - 35Kb
This bright wonderful plant will sprawl, climb, or drape, and flowers best in poor soils and dryish situations. Nasturtiums do well in window boxes and hanging baskets. The large seed germinates readily, and every part of the plant is edible, with a fresh peppery tang. Use the flowers in salads, as a garnish, or filled with soft cheese as an appetiser. Use the leaves in salads and sandwiches, and pickle the immature seeds to use as a substitute for capers.
The flowers also cut well, and a pot of blooms in mixed colours is one of the simplest and most cheerful flower arrangements.
Being a member of the cabbage family, It attracts Cabbage Butterflies, and a few planted near your cabbages are very useful decoys. And it could almost certainly be used as a self-sown green manure.
In post-war London, primary school children were encouraged to grow easy-to-care for plants. Each winter we were given a precious daffodil bulb to take home and plant in a pot, and each spring a packet of 3 nasturtium seeds. At flowering time, we brought our pots to school for a flower show, and certificates were awarded for the best blooms. Sometimes the daffodils let us down, but the nasturtiums never!
No problems whatever with nasturtiums either in the garden or the lane. They are quite extraordinary!
PARSLEY - Hamburg
This tall-growing variety of parsley has much more flavour than the curled sort, and is generally regarded as a vegetable as much as a herb. Another prolific self-seeder, there are other good reasons for letting some plants flower and go to seed. The flowers have a delicious perfume. They also attract many beneficial insects and entice carrot fly away from your carrots, much as nasturtiums are more attractive to cabbage butterfly than cabbages.
The root can be cooked and eaten when young. It tastes not unlike parsnip, but is so strongly flavoured I prefer to use it as a soup vegetable.
Parsley is rich in Vitamins A and C, and iron, and a handful of freshly chopped parsley added to any savoury dish just before serving greatly increases nutritional value as well as adding flavour & colour.
Last season (2006/7) only one plant survived and grew to maturity. This year I had a forest! Parsley became my staple vegetable until late January. Wonderful!
POPPIES
Annual poppies of all kinds are easy to grow, and all produce lots of seed which, as well as ensuring next season's crop, can be used in cooking. The young foliageof wild poppies is used as a salad green in many countries.
Another drought survivor. Good crops both in the garden and the lane, although they went to seed early in the season.
POTATOES
A good potato patch really needs more sun than is available in my garden. But I still bury potato peelings and 'shot' potatoes in the mulch. The result is enough potatoes scattered around the yard that I can bandicoot them on a regular basis.
I have also grown them successfully in a large carton, but this was before the trees grew and shaded the best spot. Many gardening books also give instructions for growing potatoes in stacks of old tyres.
With any of these intensive methods it is important to have good quality soil and compost at the base of the container, because this is what will feed the plants and determine the size and quality of the crop.
One miserable little plant came up in a damp shady spot, then curled up and died, poor thing! I didn't plant any myself this season, because I felt they would require too much water.
SALSIFY
Also called 'Oyster Plant', because the cooked root tastes something like oysters, this easy to grow and attractive purple daisy is related to dandelion and chicory.
All of the plant is edible.The narrow grey-green leaves (it's very easy to mistake the young seedlings for grass, and so to pull them up by mistake!) can be used in salads or sandwiches, while the root, though not large, is tasty when boiled. It can also be roasted and when freshly ground makes a sweet beverage not unlike chocolate in flavour.
The seed-heads form dandelion-like 'clocks', but are much larger, sturdy, and coffee-coloured.
I was surprised that no seedlings came up this season - perhaps there were none in sunny enough spots. I've seen quite a few volunteers growing in the streets in this area.
SILVERBEET aka Swiss chard
I prefer this easily grown biennial to spinach. The stalks make a separate vegetable dish, especially good with a white sauce, while the large leaves are versatile greens. Roll the leaves lengthways to cut into fine shreds for salads. Don't overcook for a hot vegetable. And try tossing them in a vinagrette or french dressing while still hot, then chilling to serve as a tasty and unusual salad. (You can treat many common green vegetables this way - useful in winter when salad greens are in short supply).
Silver beet tolerates a fair degree of shade, can be obtained with stalks in various shades of red or yellow, as well as white, making it an attractive addition to the garden. It self-seeds prolifically.
One plant survived, which I hand-watered occasionally. It gives me enough greens to be worth the water.
TOMATOES
Most years I find a few self-sown tomato plants in spots that get some sun, and sometimes I get quite good crops. I am growing only for myself, and require only one or two plants at any time. If self self-sown plants don't appear, I sometimes buy a plant or two. Other years I don't get around to it, and barter with friends late in the season if I want to make sauce.
This season I put some plants in pots in the front garden where they get quite a bit of sun. I chose 'Sweet Bite' seedlings, as they usually crop well, and I've had heavy crops. The plants have also survived mite attack, and are putting out fresh leaves and still flowering well and setting fruit in late February.
WATERCRESS
Anyone with a water garden, however small, can grow this well-known iron-rich and tasty plant. Use it in salads, sandwiches, and as a garnish with a bit of 'bite'. Here in Adelaide it is a winter and spring green, dying back when it gets hot, but re-seeding itself ready for the autumn when the little seedlings appear.
I now grow mine in a large pot, which lives inside a larger container of water.
This season I tranferred a seedling to a self-watering pot. It has survived so far, kept in semi-shade, and will hopefully set seed for next year.
The annuals I plant vary from year to year and season to season. Some years there is a particularly good supply of self-sown annuals, some years look like being particularly dry, and I am always conscious that there is a water shortage.
Since watering with a cup and bucket is strenuous and time-consuming, in some year's when I have been unwell, or particularly busy, I have planted very few Annuals.
Those I try to get in every year are Basil, Broad Beans, and "shot" onions.
BASIL
The annual basil will not germinate until the weather is quite warm. I usually grow it in containers and move it around to keep it in the sun. Requires rich soil and should never be allowed to dry out. The plant often lasts well into winter if sheltered from frost, but really IS annual and does not perennialise.
Though it takes a little time and trouble to grow, there is no substitute for fresh green basil leaves, and I use them in many dishes.
Unlike most herbs, including onions, which lose their flavour with long cooking, the flavour of basil intensifies with cooking. This makes it one of the most useful, as well as one of the most flavoursome herbs in the garden. It also makes a refreshing and stimulating tea.
There are two perennial varieties, but both are frost tender and need full sun. And they just don't have the same flavour or texture as the annual sort.
However, I chose not to plant annual basil this season because of it's high water requirement, and made do with the perennial variety. It's no good for pesto, but OK for flavour.
BEANS - broad and climbing
To get a good crop of broad beans, I sow two crops, one in late summer and another in spring. If you pinch out the tops when the plants reach about 60cm or 2 feet in height, you will get more flowers and pods. Steam the tops as a green vegetable. And yes! that delicious perfume does come from the bean flowers.
Don't forget to dry and save some seed for next year.
Climbing beans do well in some years, but mostly the garden gets too shady for a good crop. In some years I have grown Lima beans, Purple King, and ordinary green beans, with varying results.
Purple King is giving small crops this season. I didn't plant any broad beans last season - too dry for germination.
BROCCOLI
I admit to buying seedlings, which I sometimes grow in the ground, and sometimes in a polystyrene box.
Once the first head has been harvested, the plants produce numerous small florets for the rest of the season. These are are delicious, and need to be harvested regularly, or the plant will go to seed. I have on a number of occasions found plants which are not allowed to go to seed will survive the summer, and again begin producing small florets as soon as the weather cools. I kept one such crop going for three years. So maybe it should really be on the Perennial list?!
None survived last season's drought, and I didn't replant because of high water requirement - I have plenty of other greens.
CARROTS
These I always grow in polystyrene boxes. They need light to germinate, and plenty of sun for good growth, so they need to be moved to the sunny spots as these move round the garden through the year.
They must not be allowed to dry out. I only get medium-sized roots using this method, but they are quite sufficient for my needs.
I sowed some in a pot, but only one germinated - they require more attention during the germination period than I gave them. So only one carrot this year - I think I'll just let it go to seed.
GARLIC
For good crops which can be harvested and stored over winter, garlic needs to be planted, nurtured and harvested annually. But each year a few plants appear, leftovers from the larger crops I grew when the garden was young and hot!
The milder flavoured Elephant Garlic doesn't mind shade, and has a large and most attractive flower.
None came up this year, though the perennial leeks did well.
PEAS - climbing
I usually grow sugar, or snow peas (mange tout), so the pods can be eaten too. Planted against my back fence after the grape vines have been pruned, and in an old washing-machine tub in the front yard when the almond has lost it's leaves, in some years I get good crops, but whether or not I get a regular feed from them, they nourish the soil, and look attractive, with their purple or white flowers.
I didn't plant any this season
Pumpkins - Queensland Blue, Golden Nugget, and Butternut
I start these in pots, then transplant, and usually manage to get about a dozen pumpkins from the vines which ramble through the trees.
Each of these varieties develop a really tough skin if cured properly in the sun after cutting from the vine with a section of vine attached to the stalk. Properly 'cured' they will store in a dry place for up to one year.
I planted some old butternut seed, some in a pot, and some in a damp spot near the front fence. The well-watered plant in the pot produced one tiny fruit - those in the ground have produced three full-sized fruit, and are still growing strongly on the front fence!
Back to Vines and Shrubs
RADISHES
Long-rooted white radishes grow almost anywhere, and I pop the seeds in any small space which gets some sun during the day. Best as a cool weather crop. The tops can be used as greens. Small roots I use in salad, while the large ones - and they can gow very large!- can be used in stir-fry or soups. They can also be grated and marinated as a relish, or pickled
I grew a few in a pot with the carrot this season - they did well, but I only made one sowing because of the water they need. But they produced excellent greens.
SHALLOTS
Much easier to grow and less demanding than onions.
Plant the bulblets in late summer, and harvest the crop when the foliage dies down. Dry and store like garlic. Though I often 'bandicoot' just one or two bulbs from each plant earlier in the season.
I didn't plant any this year - just used the wild garlic - see above
'SHOT' ONIONS
Onions which have started to sprout, or which have mildewed, can be planted - leave the necks above the soil - and will soon reward you with a crop of green leaves, which can be snipped for many weeks, and used in salads, sandwiches and stir-frys.
I didn't have any of these this year.
Plant List - Trees ....... Vines & Shrubs.......Perennials .......Biennials and Annuals
Plants Grown in the past
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